https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula Pharyngula en-US https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.35 https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/dinosaur-blood-on-cnnbut-calm-down-creationists/ <div><p>It’s an election day, but still CNN managed to post a lengthy article titled <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/03/science/red-blood-cells-dinosaur-bone">“Scientists say they’ve found the strongest evidence yet of red blood cells in a dinosaur bone”</a>, which is nice. I like to see more science presented to the public. Most commendably, though, I read the entire article and nowhere does it question the age of the Earth, nor does it go scurrying to some dumbass creationist to get a quote. That’s very good and a journalistic step up!</p><p>I’m still trying to figure out why we should care — what soft tissue they find is grossly degraded and very little information can be extracted from it. It’s also contentious because of that great degradation. The blobs they identify as red blood cells are seriously deformed, and make me wonder how they identified them as cells in the first place.</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells.jpg"><img alt="" height="332" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-500x332.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-500x332.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-150x100.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-300x199.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-768x510.jpg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells.jpg 1200w" width="500" /></a><p>(A) SEM image of 24 h HCl treated bone; and ii to xiii, SEM images showing selected RBC-like structures (Scale bar, 10 μm); (B) Photogrammetric 3D reconstruction of a selected RBC-like structure, generated from 72 SEM images</p></div><p>OK, those could be red blood cells. Maybe. I could be persuaded. But the CNN article also consulted Mary Schweitzer, the one person most associated with finding soft tissue in dinosaur bones, and she has reservations.</p><blockquote><p>It’s also possible that the structures might not be remnants of red blood cells at all.</p><p>The findings do not meet established standards for identifying fossilized blood cells, said Mary Schweitzer, professor emeritus in the department of biological sciences at North Carolina State University. She was not involved in the study.</p><p>She questioned whether the structures’ shape and size sufficiently match red blood cells in living relatives of dinosaurs as well as the significance of hausmannite, the type of manganese oxide the study authors predominantly found. Schweitzer noted that this substance is not detected in living red blood cells.</p></blockquote><p>So it’s a big maybe, but still, these are issues worth pursuing. The authors of <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2614248123">the source paper</a> are similarly cautious in their conclusions.</p><blockquote><p>Mineralized RBCs from dinosaurs have not previously been reported, and their fossil morphology remains unknown; this work provides evidence for their appearance in this preserved form. These findings support the identification of the oldest known mineralized dinosaur RBCs containing molecules derived from heme.</p></blockquote><p>Saying “containing molecules derived from heme” is a rather weak interpretation. It’s not surprising that there were chemicals in the living bone (of course!) and that they deteriorated over many tens of millions of years into modified chemical products — they didn’t evaporate or dematerialize — which is exactly what anyone should expect.</p><p>What do we do next with this corrupted information? I don’t know yet.</p></div> Evolution https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/dinosaur-blood-on-cnnbut-calm-down-creationists/#respond https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80589 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:25:14 +0000 <div><p>It’s an election day, but still CNN managed to post a lengthy article titled <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/03/science/red-blood-cells-dinosaur-bone">“Scientists say they’ve found the strongest evidence yet of red blood cells in a dinosaur bone”</a>, which is nice. I like to see more science presented to the public. Most commendably, though, I read the entire article and nowhere does it question the age of the Earth, nor does it go scurrying to some dumbass creationist to get a quote. That’s very good and a journalistic step up!</p><p>I’m still trying to figure out why we should care — what soft tissue they find is grossly degraded and very little information can be extracted from it. It’s also contentious because of that great degradation. The blobs they identify as red blood cells are seriously deformed, and make me wonder how they identified them as cells in the first place.</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells.jpg"><img alt="" height="332" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-500x332.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-500x332.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-150x100.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-300x199.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells-768x510.jpg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/blood-cells.jpg 1200w" width="500" /></a><p>(A) SEM image of 24 h HCl treated bone; and ii to xiii, SEM images showing selected RBC-like structures (Scale bar, 10 μm); (B) Photogrammetric 3D reconstruction of a selected RBC-like structure, generated from 72 SEM images</p></div><p>OK, those could be red blood cells. Maybe. I could be persuaded. But the CNN article also consulted Mary Schweitzer, the one person most associated with finding soft tissue in dinosaur bones, and she has reservations.</p><blockquote><p>It’s also possible that the structures might not be remnants of red blood cells at all.</p><p>The findings do not meet established standards for identifying fossilized blood cells, said Mary Schweitzer, professor emeritus in the department of biological sciences at North Carolina State University. She was not involved in the study.</p><p>She questioned whether the structures’ shape and size sufficiently match red blood cells in living relatives of dinosaurs as well as the significance of hausmannite, the type of manganese oxide the study authors predominantly found. Schweitzer noted that this substance is not detected in living red blood cells.</p></blockquote><p>So it’s a big maybe, but still, these are issues worth pursuing. The authors of <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2614248123">the source paper</a> are similarly cautious in their conclusions.</p><blockquote><p>Mineralized RBCs from dinosaurs have not previously been reported, and their fossil morphology remains unknown; this work provides evidence for their appearance in this preserved form. These findings support the identification of the oldest known mineralized dinosaur RBCs containing molecules derived from heme.</p></blockquote><p>Saying “containing molecules derived from heme” is a rather weak interpretation. It’s not surprising that there were chemicals in the living bone (of course!) and that they deteriorated over many tens of millions of years into modified chemical products — they didn’t evaporate or dematerialize — which is exactly what anyone should expect.</p><p>What do we do next with this corrupted information? I don’t know yet.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/i-done-voted/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota.png"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-150x150.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-150x150.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-300x300.png 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-500x500.png 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota.png 600w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I now expect that <a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/morris-ballot.pdf">Peggy, Eric, Kari, Talitha, Amy, Steve, Zack, Keith, Naomi, and all members of Minnesota school districts</a> to be my good friends and invite me to their house for the celebration. It’s the least they can do for my vote.</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/i-done-voted/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80586 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 14:26:03 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota.png"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-150x150.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-150x150.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-300x300.png 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota-500x500.png 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/minnesota.png 600w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I now expect that <a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/morris-ballot.pdf">Peggy, Eric, Kari, Talitha, Amy, Steve, Zack, Keith, Naomi, and all members of Minnesota school districts</a> to be my good friends and invite me to their house for the celebration. It’s the least they can do for my vote.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/its-election-day/ <div><p>You know what to do, my fellow Americans: kick the clowns out.</p><div style="width: 448px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg"><img alt="" height="539" sizes="(max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg 438w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress-122x150.jpg 122w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress-244x300.jpg 244w" width="438" /></a><p><a href="https://www.thefarside.com/2026/11/03/0">The Far Side</a></p></div><p>(This cartoon would be more accurate if all the clowns were evil.)</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/03/its-election-day/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80583 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 11:45:53 +0000 <div><p>You know what to do, my fellow Americans: kick the clowns out.</p><div style="width: 448px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg"><img alt="" height="539" sizes="(max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress.jpg 438w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress-122x150.jpg 122w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/clowngress-244x300.jpg 244w" width="438" /></a><p><a href="https://www.thefarside.com/2026/11/03/0">The Far Side</a></p></div><p>(This cartoon would be more accurate if all the clowns were evil.)</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/02/this-kind-of-story-still-gives-me-the-heebie-jeebies/ <div><div style="width: 160px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a><p>murderer and his murder weapon</p></div><p>Too many years ago, I was a die-hard bicyclist who pedaled everywhere. That habit died here in Minnesota, where we’re buried in snow for 6 months of the year, and half the remaining time is non-stop prairie winds. Some people do manage it, though, and I was thinking maybe I should start up again in my retirement, for those months when it is practical.</p><p>On second thought, though, the real daunting concern is all the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/30/cyclist-murder-manchester-simon-richardson-michael-mullins">assholes in cars</a>.</p><blockquote><p>Simon Richardson, 35, crashed into headteacher Michael Mullins, 56, who was cycling home from work at Stretford grammar school, Greater Manchester, on the evening of 20 April. Mullins hit the bonnet and windscreen of Richardson’s Volvo XC90 and then went under the car, becoming entangled in the suspension.</p><p>Richardson continued to drive for more than a mile, knowing that the trapped cyclist was just inches under his feet, a trial at Manchester Minshull Street crown court heard.<br /> …<br /> Richardson’s front-seat passenger, his cousin Gabrielle Debotte, told the trial they both heard “moaning” from outside as he drove away from the collision scene. Giving evidence for the prosecution, she said Richardson went on to say: “He’s under the car.”</p><p>The collision happened in the village of Warburton. The court heard Richardson drove to a secluded farm track in Lymm, 1.3 miles away, in an attempt to dislodge Mullins.</p><p>After he stopped, Richardson twice tried to pull Mullins out, before returning to the car and driving sharply and deliberately from side to side before mounting a grass verge, the court heard. Mullins was finally released but was then driven over again as Richardson reversed and drove away.</p></blockquote><p>We have a nice stationary exercise bicycle in our house. I think maybe that would be a better alternative.</p><p>Richardson has been found guilty of murder.</p></div> Crime https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/02/this-kind-of-story-still-gives-me-the-heebie-jeebies/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80580 Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:14:56 +0000 <div><div style="width: 160px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/murderer.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a><p>murderer and his murder weapon</p></div><p>Too many years ago, I was a die-hard bicyclist who pedaled everywhere. That habit died here in Minnesota, where we’re buried in snow for 6 months of the year, and half the remaining time is non-stop prairie winds. Some people do manage it, though, and I was thinking maybe I should start up again in my retirement, for those months when it is practical.</p><p>On second thought, though, the real daunting concern is all the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/30/cyclist-murder-manchester-simon-richardson-michael-mullins">assholes in cars</a>.</p><blockquote><p>Simon Richardson, 35, crashed into headteacher Michael Mullins, 56, who was cycling home from work at Stretford grammar school, Greater Manchester, on the evening of 20 April. Mullins hit the bonnet and windscreen of Richardson’s Volvo XC90 and then went under the car, becoming entangled in the suspension.</p><p>Richardson continued to drive for more than a mile, knowing that the trapped cyclist was just inches under his feet, a trial at Manchester Minshull Street crown court heard.<br /> …<br /> Richardson’s front-seat passenger, his cousin Gabrielle Debotte, told the trial they both heard “moaning” from outside as he drove away from the collision scene. Giving evidence for the prosecution, she said Richardson went on to say: “He’s under the car.”</p><p>The collision happened in the village of Warburton. The court heard Richardson drove to a secluded farm track in Lymm, 1.3 miles away, in an attempt to dislodge Mullins.</p><p>After he stopped, Richardson twice tried to pull Mullins out, before returning to the car and driving sharply and deliberately from side to side before mounting a grass verge, the court heard. Mullins was finally released but was then driven over again as Richardson reversed and drove away.</p></blockquote><p>We have a nice stationary exercise bicycle in our house. I think maybe that would be a better alternative.</p><p>Richardson has been found guilty of murder.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/02/no-blue-wave-can-we-get-a-wave-of-thoughtful-voters-instead/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I must express my gratitude to Hayley Stevens. She lost a primary election for the Michigan senate to Abdul El-Sayed, but promised to endorse him anyway, and then over the weekend, just before the midterm elections, changed her mind and endorsed the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers. It was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/02/democrats-reaction-haley-steven-mike-rogers">breathtaking betrayal</a>. A stunning stab in the back moment for Democrats. She has killed her political career.</p><p>And I love her for it.</p><p>She has single-handedly destroyed the slogan “vote blue no matter who”, tearing it into tatters, spitting on it, and wiping her ass with it. Establishment Democrats are dismayed — they rely on that knee-jerk party loyalty and hatred of Republicans to coast into re-election without having to actually <em>do</em> anything, and Hayley Stevens just made a vivid demonstration of the fact that you can’t simply trust someone because there’s a “D” after their name. The electorate needs to actually think and assess the merits of their candidate? That’s anathema to the Chuck Schumers and Joe Bidens of the Democratic party!</p><p>Thank you for your service, never-to-be-senator Stevens.</p><p>Of course, she never intended to blow herself up to advance enlightened democracy. As Jamelle Bouie explains, she was just a self-centered marginal democrat who lost her damn mind.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xg9xJeh2Ul0?si=a5laQToSjlVlaWGw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>The midterm elections are tomorrow, and now you must take these candidates seriously (although you should have done that in the primaries) and vote for the best one who will improve your life in the years to come. It’s all weighty serious stuff, and no more of this reflexive “vote blue” nonsense.</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/02/no-blue-wave-can-we-get-a-wave-of-thoughtful-voters-instead/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80577 Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:11:53 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/hayley-stevens.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I must express my gratitude to Hayley Stevens. She lost a primary election for the Michigan senate to Abdul El-Sayed, but promised to endorse him anyway, and then over the weekend, just before the midterm elections, changed her mind and endorsed the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers. It was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/02/democrats-reaction-haley-steven-mike-rogers">breathtaking betrayal</a>. A stunning stab in the back moment for Democrats. She has killed her political career.</p><p>And I love her for it.</p><p>She has single-handedly destroyed the slogan “vote blue no matter who”, tearing it into tatters, spitting on it, and wiping her ass with it. Establishment Democrats are dismayed — they rely on that knee-jerk party loyalty and hatred of Republicans to coast into re-election without having to actually <em>do</em> anything, and Hayley Stevens just made a vivid demonstration of the fact that you can’t simply trust someone because there’s a “D” after their name. The electorate needs to actually think and assess the merits of their candidate? That’s anathema to the Chuck Schumers and Joe Bidens of the Democratic party!</p><p>Thank you for your service, never-to-be-senator Stevens.</p><p>Of course, she never intended to blow herself up to advance enlightened democracy. As Jamelle Bouie explains, she was just a self-centered marginal democrat who lost her damn mind.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xg9xJeh2Ul0?si=a5laQToSjlVlaWGw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>The midterm elections are tomorrow, and now you must take these candidates seriously (although you should have done that in the primaries) and vote for the best one who will improve your life in the years to come. It’s all weighty serious stuff, and no more of this reflexive “vote blue” nonsense.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/01/we-have-a-new-grandson/ <div><p>Born last night, seen here in his larval form:</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio.jpeg"><img alt="" height="410" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-500x410.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-500x410.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-150x123.jpeg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-768x629.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a><p>Vittorio!</p></div><p>We’ll learn more when his limbs have extended and his wings have inflated and flattened. Right now we’re just happy that the ordeal is over and everyone is healthy.</p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/01/we-have-a-new-grandson/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80574 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:22:35 +0000 <div><p>Born last night, seen here in his larval form:</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio.jpeg"><img alt="" height="410" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-500x410.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-500x410.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-150x123.jpeg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio-768x629.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/11/vittorio.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a><p>Vittorio!</p></div><p>We’ll learn more when his limbs have extended and his wings have inflated and flattened. Right now we’re just happy that the ordeal is over and everyone is healthy.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/01/the-latest-corruption-scandal-in-minnesota/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison.jpg"><img alt="" height="100" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison-150x100.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison-150x100.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>There’s a sleepy little town, Appleton, just a few miles south of Morris. I’ve visited it a few times to check out the spiders there — there’s no other reason to go there, it’s not much of a tourist attraction. Population 1400, no particular businesses there, they had a defunct prison that was shut down 16 years ago, and many residents were concerned about the loss of employment opportunities. I’d like to see more good jobs there, too, but reopening a prison, or setting up <a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2019/07/02/at-the-close-the-camps-protest-in-morris-minnesota/">concentration camps for immigrants</a> isn’t high on my list of “good” jobs.</p><p>But right now if I look at broadcast tv or TUBI, they’re <a href="https://www.minnpost.com/greater-minnesota/2026/06/appleton-prison-seeks-job-applicants-amid-renewed-federal-interest-in-facility-for-immigrant-detentions/">saturated with ads for GOOD JOBS</a> in Appleton. They want nurses and educators and guards that they’ll hire with good pay, and the ads run annoyingly non-stop. The Appleton prison is open for business! Yay?</p><p>CoreCivic, the private prison company that owned the place, had previously offered to sell the prison to the state of Minnesota for the price of $75 million. The state turned it down. It was too pricey, required too much renovation, and would require far too much investment in building housing for workers. It was <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/minnesota-prison-sale-75m-ice-211435256.html">impractical</a>.</p><blockquote><p>The state ultimately decided against the deal at the time on the basis that it might be difficult to staff Prairie Correctional given its remote location – a nearly three-hour drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul – and costly to build new homes to accommodate the approximately 500 employees required to run it, concerns seemingly not shared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.</p></blockquote><p>Hey! I live 3 hours from Minneapolis-St Paul! Looking at it from my perspective, that’s rather insulting, that this side of the state isn’t worth the investment, but OK — I should see this as a declaration that prisons aren’t worth spending money on.</p><p>So who bought it now? It was sold by CoreCivic to ICE. For <b>$495 million</b>.</p><p>Cool business strategy bro. It turns out that CoreCivic had donated half a million dollars to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, and then ICE turned around and gave CoreCivic a half billion dollars for an old neglected building in a remote part of the country. So in that sense it was good return on investment, just corrupt and criminal.</p><p>It’s ironic that Minnesota has been the focus of a corruption scandal — $250 million was skimmed off pandemic recovery funds. That corruption benefited Somali people, though, so clearly bad. Benefitting wealthy white Republicans is not a crime. Minnesota investigated our local scandal and found that the chief perpetrator, Aimee Bock, was guilty and sentenced her to 40 years in prison. One can only hope that the instigators of the Appleton grift get an equivalent sentence.</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/11/01/the-latest-corruption-scandal-in-minnesota/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80571 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 14:36:23 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison.jpg"><img alt="" height="100" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison-150x100.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison-150x100.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/08/appleton-prison.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>There’s a sleepy little town, Appleton, just a few miles south of Morris. I’ve visited it a few times to check out the spiders there — there’s no other reason to go there, it’s not much of a tourist attraction. Population 1400, no particular businesses there, they had a defunct prison that was shut down 16 years ago, and many residents were concerned about the loss of employment opportunities. I’d like to see more good jobs there, too, but reopening a prison, or setting up <a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2019/07/02/at-the-close-the-camps-protest-in-morris-minnesota/">concentration camps for immigrants</a> isn’t high on my list of “good” jobs.</p><p>But right now if I look at broadcast tv or TUBI, they’re <a href="https://www.minnpost.com/greater-minnesota/2026/06/appleton-prison-seeks-job-applicants-amid-renewed-federal-interest-in-facility-for-immigrant-detentions/">saturated with ads for GOOD JOBS</a> in Appleton. They want nurses and educators and guards that they’ll hire with good pay, and the ads run annoyingly non-stop. The Appleton prison is open for business! Yay?</p><p>CoreCivic, the private prison company that owned the place, had previously offered to sell the prison to the state of Minnesota for the price of $75 million. The state turned it down. It was too pricey, required too much renovation, and would require far too much investment in building housing for workers. It was <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/minnesota-prison-sale-75m-ice-211435256.html">impractical</a>.</p><blockquote><p>The state ultimately decided against the deal at the time on the basis that it might be difficult to staff Prairie Correctional given its remote location – a nearly three-hour drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul – and costly to build new homes to accommodate the approximately 500 employees required to run it, concerns seemingly not shared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.</p></blockquote><p>Hey! I live 3 hours from Minneapolis-St Paul! Looking at it from my perspective, that’s rather insulting, that this side of the state isn’t worth the investment, but OK — I should see this as a declaration that prisons aren’t worth spending money on.</p><p>So who bought it now? It was sold by CoreCivic to ICE. For <b>$495 million</b>.</p><p>Cool business strategy bro. It turns out that CoreCivic had donated half a million dollars to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, and then ICE turned around and gave CoreCivic a half billion dollars for an old neglected building in a remote part of the country. So in that sense it was good return on investment, just corrupt and criminal.</p><p>It’s ironic that Minnesota has been the focus of a corruption scandal — $250 million was skimmed off pandemic recovery funds. That corruption benefited Somali people, though, so clearly bad. Benefitting wealthy white Republicans is not a crime. Minnesota investigated our local scandal and found that the chief perpetrator, Aimee Bock, was guilty and sentenced her to 40 years in prison. One can only hope that the instigators of the Appleton grift get an equivalent sentence.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/31/we-had-our-first-trick-or-treaters-of-the-evening/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>Three little kids, the youngest no more than 3 years old…and our evil cat tried to kill them. Seriously: hissing, spitting, snarling, clawing at them, and I just managed to intercept the attack with my foot. After they escaped, she was prowling by the door, evil in her eye, waiting for her next victim.</p><p>She has now been locked in a back room. No candy for her. If I should die tonight, warn any people who come to my house that there is a dark wickedness lurking behind one of the doors, and to beware.</p><p>I’ve been telling you for years that this cat is literally evil. Do you believe me yet?</p><p>By the way, I’ve added potatoes to the candy bowl this year. Some kids are incredibly excited about getting a potato for Hallowe’en.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection.jpeg"><img alt="" height="709" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-500x709.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-500x709.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-106x150.jpeg 106w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-212x300.jpeg 212w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-768x1089.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a></p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/31/we-had-our-first-trick-or-treaters-of-the-evening/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80567 Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:42:17 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/evil-cat.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>Three little kids, the youngest no more than 3 years old…and our evil cat tried to kill them. Seriously: hissing, spitting, snarling, clawing at them, and I just managed to intercept the attack with my foot. After they escaped, she was prowling by the door, evil in her eye, waiting for her next victim.</p><p>She has now been locked in a back room. No candy for her. If I should die tonight, warn any people who come to my house that there is a dark wickedness lurking behind one of the doors, and to beware.</p><p>I’ve been telling you for years that this cat is literally evil. Do you believe me yet?</p><p>By the way, I’ve added potatoes to the candy bowl this year. Some kids are incredibly excited about getting a potato for Hallowe’en.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection.jpeg"><img alt="" height="709" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-500x709.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-500x709.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-106x150.jpeg 106w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-212x300.jpeg 212w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection-768x1089.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/2026-selection.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a></p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/31/a-long-long-night-at-the-motion-picture-show/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 101px) 100vw, 101px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-101x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-101x150.jpg 101w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-202x300.jpg 202w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-500x741.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott.jpg 640w" width="101" /></a></p><p>We’re strapped for volunteers at the Morris Theater because it’s Hallowe’en and there are so many events going on, so last night I did a triple-shift, sort of. The first show was <i>The Other Mommy</i>, which has received such dire reviews that I didn’t bother to watch it — and neither did anyone else, apparently. Attendance was <em>zero</em> people. The second show was the last gasp of our run of <em>Clayface</em>, which had an audience of <em>three</em> people. We can’t keep the theater alive with so few tickets, people!</p><p>Then we had the traditional midnight showing of <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</em>. It was the end of the shift I signed on for, and it could have been a discouraging end to the night, but about a hundred people showed up! And almost all were in costume! So I hung around to enjoy the spectacle, and helped a tiny bit at the candy counter, and then decided, what the heck, I’ll stay for the movie. The first time I saw <i>Rocky</i> was over 50 years ago, and one person admitted that they were a <i>Rocky</i> virgin and had never seen it, so I figured I had to stay to represent the whole range of experience properly. Also, how could I not honor the memory of the late Tim Curry?</p><p>It was a fun experience to see the movie with the full interactive audience experience, but I’m old, so now I’m very tired. I was thinking that next year I could go as Dr Everett Scott, the most straight-laced and boring member of the ensemble. I already have the wheelchair (which, fortunately, I don’t need to use any more.) Although I’m too old for even that part anymore!</p></div> Entertainment https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/31/a-long-long-night-at-the-motion-picture-show/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80563 Sat, 31 Oct 2026 14:19:28 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 101px) 100vw, 101px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-101x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-101x150.jpg 101w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-202x300.jpg 202w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott-500x741.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Dr-Everett-Scott.jpg 640w" width="101" /></a></p><p>We’re strapped for volunteers at the Morris Theater because it’s Hallowe’en and there are so many events going on, so last night I did a triple-shift, sort of. The first show was <i>The Other Mommy</i>, which has received such dire reviews that I didn’t bother to watch it — and neither did anyone else, apparently. Attendance was <em>zero</em> people. The second show was the last gasp of our run of <em>Clayface</em>, which had an audience of <em>three</em> people. We can’t keep the theater alive with so few tickets, people!</p><p>Then we had the traditional midnight showing of <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</em>. It was the end of the shift I signed on for, and it could have been a discouraging end to the night, but about a hundred people showed up! And almost all were in costume! So I hung around to enjoy the spectacle, and helped a tiny bit at the candy counter, and then decided, what the heck, I’ll stay for the movie. The first time I saw <i>Rocky</i> was over 50 years ago, and one person admitted that they were a <i>Rocky</i> virgin and had never seen it, so I figured I had to stay to represent the whole range of experience properly. Also, how could I not honor the memory of the late Tim Curry?</p><p>It was a fun experience to see the movie with the full interactive audience experience, but I’m old, so now I’m very tired. I was thinking that next year I could go as Dr Everett Scott, the most straight-laced and boring member of the ensemble. I already have the wheelchair (which, fortunately, I don’t need to use any more.) Although I’m too old for even that part anymore!</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/im-pretty-sure-we-have-no-flat-earthers-here/ <div><p>But if we do, let’s smoke them out.<br /><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View.jpg"><img alt="" height="266" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-500x266.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-500x266.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-150x80.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-300x160.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View.jpg 743w" width="500" /></a></p><p>For those unfamiliar with the region, Mt Rainier (correct spelling) is about 80 miles (130 km) north-north-east of Mt St Helens. That photo is a good visual aid for refuting flerfs.</p><p>Argue away! Or can I expect dead silence because no one is stupid enough to fall for that flat earth nonsense here?</p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/im-pretty-sure-we-have-no-flat-earthers-here/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80560 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:44:48 +0000 <div><p>But if we do, let’s smoke them out.<br /><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View.jpg"><img alt="" height="266" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-500x266.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-500x266.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-150x80.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View-300x160.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Mountain-View.jpg 743w" width="500" /></a></p><p>For those unfamiliar with the region, Mt Rainier (correct spelling) is about 80 miles (130 km) north-north-east of Mt St Helens. That photo is a good visual aid for refuting flerfs.</p><p>Argue away! Or can I expect dead silence because no one is stupid enough to fall for that flat earth nonsense here?</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/people-id-never-heard-of/ <div><p>I think I mostly hang out with the right people (although, I was associating with a bad crowd when I was active in that New Atheist thing), because the news keeps popping up with all these horrible people I knew nothing about until they committed their crimes. Which is not surprising, since that’s how news works.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/front-row-joe.png"><img alt="" height="150" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/front-row-joe-150x150.png" width="150" /></a>The first nobody is someone going by the moniker <a href="https://archive.ph/N7OnL">“Front Row Joe”</a>, actual name Adam Radogna. His claim to fame is his membership in a cult.</p><blockquote><p>Radogna is a loud and proud “Front Row Joe”—a small subset of Trump fanatics who spend days camping to secure prime spots at a presidential event.<br /> In 2024, he told NJ.com that he had been to more than 40 rallies.<br /> “We have members from all over the country. It’s no more than 30 or 40 of us and we just love to support Donald Trump,” he said at the time. “He knows who we are and we’ve all met him.”</p></blockquote><p>Yikes. We already know there is something wrong with that man, but the police have found something even wronger.</p><blockquote><p>Adam Radogna, a 37-year-old Ohio restaurant owner, was indicted by a grand jury for possessing dozens of images containing child sexual abuse material, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.<br /> A search warrant was executed at Radogna’s home in Brook Park, a working-class neighborhood southwest of Cleveland, after a joint federal and state investigation identified his residence as a potential location for child sexual abuse material. The search yielded multiple troubling files on Radogna’s devices, the prosecutor’s office said.</p></blockquote><p>These are Trump’s people.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day.jpg"><img alt="" height="89" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day-150x89.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day-150x89.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>Another cult group I don’t follow are the evangelical Christians — there’s something wrong with all of those people. Seth and Heather Thompson Day were “popular” (again, not with me, I never heard of them before) Seventh Day Adventist proselytizers. They are <a href="https://spectrummagazine.org/news/court-documents-detail-child-sexual-assault-allegations-against-seth-day/">firm believers in Christian love</a>.</p><blockquote><p>According to the newly released documents, the Days’ daughter had told local hospital staff that on September 22, the same day of the alleged physical assault, “[Seth Day] engaged in sexual intercourse with [her] on her bed.” </p><p>While describing the alleged incident to investigators, the complaint states that she “was very timid about details and stipulated to the details of the sexual assault as ‘yucky.’” She also described the location of a bottle of lubricant her father used in the assault. </p></blockquote><p>“Yucky”. Yes, very yucky. But <a href="https://ministrywatch.com/new-details-emerge-in-days-abuse-case/">there’s more</a>!</p><blockquote><p>The daughter alleged her father had repeatedly physically abused her. On Sept. 22, according to the affidavit, Seth Day allegedly struck his daughter with her cell phone, “causing lacerations and multiple areas of bruising on her face.”</p><p>“She also advised there was a bruise on her chest,” according to the affidavit.</p><p>The injuries were documented by the investigating officer. The daughter also told police the abuse had happened repeatedly in the past, leading to Texas Child Protective Services Investigations, and the daughter alleged the family moved homes because of those reports. </p></blockquote><p>Just say no to cult behavior. These are people I never wanted to know about, and will happily go back to my state of ignorance…except that I will have to worry generically about all the nobodies who will erupt into my awareness with other horrible acts.</p></div> Atheism and Skepticism https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/people-id-never-heard-of/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80555 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 15:21:13 +0000 <div><p>I think I mostly hang out with the right people (although, I was associating with a bad crowd when I was active in that New Atheist thing), because the news keeps popping up with all these horrible people I knew nothing about until they committed their crimes. Which is not surprising, since that’s how news works.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/front-row-joe.png"><img alt="" height="150" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/front-row-joe-150x150.png" width="150" /></a>The first nobody is someone going by the moniker <a href="https://archive.ph/N7OnL">“Front Row Joe”</a>, actual name Adam Radogna. His claim to fame is his membership in a cult.</p><blockquote><p>Radogna is a loud and proud “Front Row Joe”—a small subset of Trump fanatics who spend days camping to secure prime spots at a presidential event.<br /> In 2024, he told NJ.com that he had been to more than 40 rallies.<br /> “We have members from all over the country. It’s no more than 30 or 40 of us and we just love to support Donald Trump,” he said at the time. “He knows who we are and we’ve all met him.”</p></blockquote><p>Yikes. We already know there is something wrong with that man, but the police have found something even wronger.</p><blockquote><p>Adam Radogna, a 37-year-old Ohio restaurant owner, was indicted by a grand jury for possessing dozens of images containing child sexual abuse material, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.<br /> A search warrant was executed at Radogna’s home in Brook Park, a working-class neighborhood southwest of Cleveland, after a joint federal and state investigation identified his residence as a potential location for child sexual abuse material. The search yielded multiple troubling files on Radogna’s devices, the prosecutor’s office said.</p></blockquote><p>These are Trump’s people.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day.jpg"><img alt="" height="89" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day-150x89.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day-150x89.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Heather-and-Seth-Day.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>Another cult group I don’t follow are the evangelical Christians — there’s something wrong with all of those people. Seth and Heather Thompson Day were “popular” (again, not with me, I never heard of them before) Seventh Day Adventist proselytizers. They are <a href="https://spectrummagazine.org/news/court-documents-detail-child-sexual-assault-allegations-against-seth-day/">firm believers in Christian love</a>.</p><blockquote><p>According to the newly released documents, the Days’ daughter had told local hospital staff that on September 22, the same day of the alleged physical assault, “[Seth Day] engaged in sexual intercourse with [her] on her bed.” </p><p>While describing the alleged incident to investigators, the complaint states that she “was very timid about details and stipulated to the details of the sexual assault as ‘yucky.’” She also described the location of a bottle of lubricant her father used in the assault. </p></blockquote><p>“Yucky”. Yes, very yucky. But <a href="https://ministrywatch.com/new-details-emerge-in-days-abuse-case/">there’s more</a>!</p><blockquote><p>The daughter alleged her father had repeatedly physically abused her. On Sept. 22, according to the affidavit, Seth Day allegedly struck his daughter with her cell phone, “causing lacerations and multiple areas of bruising on her face.”</p><p>“She also advised there was a bruise on her chest,” according to the affidavit.</p><p>The injuries were documented by the investigating officer. The daughter also told police the abuse had happened repeatedly in the past, leading to Texas Child Protective Services Investigations, and the daughter alleged the family moved homes because of those reports. </p></blockquote><p>Just say no to cult behavior. These are people I never wanted to know about, and will happily go back to my state of ignorance…except that I will have to worry generically about all the nobodies who will erupt into my awareness with other horrible acts.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/pre-halloween-festivity/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 99px) 100vw, 99px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-99x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-99x150.jpg 99w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-198x300.jpg 198w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie.jpg 300w" width="99" /></a></p><p>I’m volunteering at the <a href="https://morristheatre.net/blog/">theater</a> tonight — I’ve got a long shift, from 7-11, leading into the traditional Hallowe’en event, the showing of the <i>Rocky Horror Picture Show</i>. If you’re in Morris tonight at 11, this will be the happenin’ place.</p><p>I tried to think of some way to contribute to the Hallowe’en party mood, and came up with one: I’m giving all my students a midterm exam! I’m sure this will put me in the history books as an excellent “fun” science professor!</p><p>Maybe I should celebrate the holiday by torturing you all with biochemistry questions? For fun?</p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/30/pre-halloween-festivity/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80552 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:39:07 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 99px) 100vw, 99px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-99x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-99x150.jpg 99w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie-198x300.jpg 198w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/final-exam-horror-movie.jpg 300w" width="99" /></a></p><p>I’m volunteering at the <a href="https://morristheatre.net/blog/">theater</a> tonight — I’ve got a long shift, from 7-11, leading into the traditional Hallowe’en event, the showing of the <i>Rocky Horror Picture Show</i>. If you’re in Morris tonight at 11, this will be the happenin’ place.</p><p>I tried to think of some way to contribute to the Hallowe’en party mood, and came up with one: I’m giving all my students a midterm exam! I’m sure this will put me in the history books as an excellent “fun” science professor!</p><p>Maybe I should celebrate the holiday by torturing you all with biochemistry questions? For fun?</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/29/truth-in-labeling-2/ <div><p>Found on a shelf of reagents while preparing a lab:</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME.jpeg"><img alt="" height="661" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-500x661.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-500x661.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-114x150.jpeg 114w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-227x300.jpeg 227w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-768x1015.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a></p><p>I trust that label. I didn’t open it or touch it.</p></div> Science https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/29/truth-in-labeling-2/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80548 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:05:45 +0000 <div><p>Found on a shelf of reagents while preparing a lab:</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME.jpeg"><img alt="" height="661" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-500x661.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-500x661.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-114x150.jpeg 114w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-227x300.jpeg 227w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME-768x1015.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/BME.jpeg 1000w" width="500" /></a></p><p>I trust that label. I didn’t open it or touch it.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/29/magaracist/ <div><div style="width: 160px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP.png"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP-150x150.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP-150x150.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP.png 277w" width="150" /></a><p>Do you think the Kent GOP regrets providing a backdrop for those disgusting remarks?</p></div><p>Maybe it’s not fair to equate all of MAGA with racism; it may be a deeper issue. Maybe they are all just deeply, profoundly, irrationally stupid. RFK jr was demonstrating both racism and stupidity in Michigan, campaigning for Mike Rogers against Abdul El-Sayed, where, rather than addressing politics and policy, he instead launched a bigoted rant against <em>all</em> Muslims, and to do so he had to ignore all the facts and evidence.</p><div><blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">RFK: "There's five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don't produce science. They don't win the Novel Prize. They don't win the Fields Prize. They don't win the Wolf Prize. They don't produce literature." <a href="https://t.co/ikZHqklQjE">pic.twitter.com/ikZHqklQjE</a></p><p>— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) <a href="https://x.com/BulwarkClips/status/2114866809493237813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p><br /><br /><q>There’s five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don’t produce science,they don’t win the Nobel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize. They don’t produce literature. They used to produce — they were the first to make books, and they, in the 13th century, typical Muslim princes had more books in their libraries than existed in all of Europe, and all of that tradition has been destroyed by the Muslim Brotherhood. They have created stagnant societies, that do one of two things, hatred and war and victimization.</q></p></div><p>Jeez. I’ve long despised RFK jr for his bad science, but now I have to hate him even more for his over-the-top racism. His claims are garbage through and through. You can’t equate Muslim with Arab; most Muslims are not Arabs. The claim that Muslims (or Arabs, it’s not clear who he is insulting) haven’t won any Western-defined prizes for great science and literature isn’t true, and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-midterms-kennedy-arabs-michigan-2c91a731bb1b4dc5b7aeadf2fc6dff37">Associated Press has compiled a long list of examples</a>. Telling us that they haven’t won prizes established by Western and colonial nations is not only false, but that Muslims have competed in a rigged game and succeeded is evidence that they have great ability. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, and you’re claiming that this relatively marginal organization has <q>destroyed</q> the Muslim intellectual tradition in less than a century? Remarkable.</p><p>It’s minor but amusing that he said Muslims only do one of two things, and then he listed three. I guess RFK jr doesn’t do math, just like he doesn’t do science or history. This could be the basis of a comedy skit, but Monty Python has already done it. It also wouldn’t be funny, since hatred and war and victimization are the foundational principles of the modern Republican party.</p><p>Those remarks ought to completely destroy his career, but I fear they won’t. The Zionists and the Republican party in general apparently agree with him.</p></div> Race, Society, and Social Justice https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/29/magaracist/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80543 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:47:47 +0000 <div><div style="width: 160px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP.png"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP-150x150.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP-150x150.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/RFK-jr-Kent-GOP.png 277w" width="150" /></a><p>Do you think the Kent GOP regrets providing a backdrop for those disgusting remarks?</p></div><p>Maybe it’s not fair to equate all of MAGA with racism; it may be a deeper issue. Maybe they are all just deeply, profoundly, irrationally stupid. RFK jr was demonstrating both racism and stupidity in Michigan, campaigning for Mike Rogers against Abdul El-Sayed, where, rather than addressing politics and policy, he instead launched a bigoted rant against <em>all</em> Muslims, and to do so he had to ignore all the facts and evidence.</p><div><blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">RFK: "There's five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don't produce science. They don't win the Novel Prize. They don't win the Fields Prize. They don't win the Wolf Prize. They don't produce literature." <a href="https://t.co/ikZHqklQjE">pic.twitter.com/ikZHqklQjE</a></p><p>— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) <a href="https://x.com/BulwarkClips/status/2114866809493237813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p><br /><br /><q>There’s five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don’t produce science,they don’t win the Nobel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize. They don’t produce literature. They used to produce — they were the first to make books, and they, in the 13th century, typical Muslim princes had more books in their libraries than existed in all of Europe, and all of that tradition has been destroyed by the Muslim Brotherhood. They have created stagnant societies, that do one of two things, hatred and war and victimization.</q></p></div><p>Jeez. I’ve long despised RFK jr for his bad science, but now I have to hate him even more for his over-the-top racism. His claims are garbage through and through. You can’t equate Muslim with Arab; most Muslims are not Arabs. The claim that Muslims (or Arabs, it’s not clear who he is insulting) haven’t won any Western-defined prizes for great science and literature isn’t true, and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-midterms-kennedy-arabs-michigan-2c91a731bb1b4dc5b7aeadf2fc6dff37">Associated Press has compiled a long list of examples</a>. Telling us that they haven’t won prizes established by Western and colonial nations is not only false, but that Muslims have competed in a rigged game and succeeded is evidence that they have great ability. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, and you’re claiming that this relatively marginal organization has <q>destroyed</q> the Muslim intellectual tradition in less than a century? Remarkable.</p><p>It’s minor but amusing that he said Muslims only do one of two things, and then he listed three. I guess RFK jr doesn’t do math, just like he doesn’t do science or history. This could be the basis of a comedy skit, but Monty Python has already done it. It also wouldn’t be funny, since hatred and war and victimization are the foundational principles of the modern Republican party.</p><p>Those remarks ought to completely destroy his career, but I fear they won’t. The Zionists and the Republican party in general apparently agree with him.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/please-please-put-okeefe-in-jail/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo.jpeg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 122px) 100vw, 122px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-122x150.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-122x150.jpeg 122w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-244x300.jpeg 244w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo.jpeg 476w" width="122" /></a></p><p>It’s <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/james-okeefe-minnesota-unlawful-voting-identity-theft-charges-rcna606142">about time</a>.</p><blockquote><p>A Minnesota prosecutor on Wednesday charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and influencer Cam Higby with felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft after they misrepresented themselves at polling places in August using the names of registered voters.<br /> …<br /> The pair of influencers disguised themselves and recorded themselves going undercover using hidden cameras at the polling places. They posted videos capturing their interactions on social media in August. O’Keefe said in a post on X that they dressed in “Muslim garb” — including, for one of them, a full-face veil known as a niqab — and their goal was to “expose the sheer lunacy of Minnesota’s ‘vouching’ system.”<br /> …<br /> Police interviewed the registered voters whose names O’Keefe and Higby used, said Moriarty, who added that they also used names of deceased voters. Asked where they obtained those names, Moriarty said “We don’t know that.” </p></blockquote><p>Once again, every accusation by a Republican is a confession.</p></div> Race, Society, and Social Justice https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/please-please-put-okeefe-in-jail/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80541 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:16:07 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo.jpeg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 122px) 100vw, 122px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-122x150.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-122x150.jpeg 122w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo-244x300.jpeg 244w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2023/09/James-OKeefe-booking-photo.jpeg 476w" width="122" /></a></p><p>It’s <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/james-okeefe-minnesota-unlawful-voting-identity-theft-charges-rcna606142">about time</a>.</p><blockquote><p>A Minnesota prosecutor on Wednesday charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and influencer Cam Higby with felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft after they misrepresented themselves at polling places in August using the names of registered voters.<br /> …<br /> The pair of influencers disguised themselves and recorded themselves going undercover using hidden cameras at the polling places. They posted videos capturing their interactions on social media in August. O’Keefe said in a post on X that they dressed in “Muslim garb” — including, for one of them, a full-face veil known as a niqab — and their goal was to “expose the sheer lunacy of Minnesota’s ‘vouching’ system.”<br /> …<br /> Police interviewed the registered voters whose names O’Keefe and Higby used, said Moriarty, who added that they also used names of deceased voters. Asked where they obtained those names, Moriarty said “We don’t know that.” </p></blockquote><p>Once again, every accusation by a Republican is a confession.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/its-going-to-be-a-busy-day-and-weekend/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I spent the morning making up reagents for multiple student experiments — this is the start of a series of lab exercises where the students are in charge, and I am just the lowly lab assistant, a lackey who gets the chemistry prepared. It just means my lab prep time for the next few weeks has tripled.</p><p>I’m doing a major review in lecture of all the stuff we covered in the last few weeks — photosynthesis, mitosis/meiosis, DNA replication. That’s because they’re getting a big exam, Exam #3, on Friday. </p><p>Then the lab will consume my afternoon, as I do my Igor impersonation.</p><p>I cap it all off with a theater board meeting. Tomorrow is a campus assembly meeting. And lots of frantic scribbling to assemble exam 3. And oh yeah, another lab I have to prepare for. After all that, I get to coast for a while, until the weekend.</p><p>And Sunday we’re going to be in St Cloud, because my son’s partner is going to be induced to deliver our new grandson on Hallowe’en. That’s absolutely no work on my part, being a grandparent is the easiest job in the world.</p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/its-going-to-be-a-busy-day-and-weekend/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80538 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:33:15 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby-150x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby-150x150.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/halloween-baby.jpg 300w" width="150" /></a></p><p>I spent the morning making up reagents for multiple student experiments — this is the start of a series of lab exercises where the students are in charge, and I am just the lowly lab assistant, a lackey who gets the chemistry prepared. It just means my lab prep time for the next few weeks has tripled.</p><p>I’m doing a major review in lecture of all the stuff we covered in the last few weeks — photosynthesis, mitosis/meiosis, DNA replication. That’s because they’re getting a big exam, Exam #3, on Friday. </p><p>Then the lab will consume my afternoon, as I do my Igor impersonation.</p><p>I cap it all off with a theater board meeting. Tomorrow is a campus assembly meeting. And lots of frantic scribbling to assemble exam 3. And oh yeah, another lab I have to prepare for. After all that, I get to coast for a while, until the weekend.</p><p>And Sunday we’re going to be in St Cloud, because my son’s partner is going to be induced to deliver our new grandson on Hallowe’en. That’s absolutely no work on my part, being a grandparent is the easiest job in the world.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/the-2026-golden-crocoduck/ <div><p>We get a geology lesson today, while honoring Bwian Thomas Ph.D. of the ICR for his bogus analysis of the Grand Canyon.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yNjUhcwULH4?si=Nzk3-ygnfAmIlIRR" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>I always appreciate Potholer54’s discussions of geology, since that’s a discipline I’m pretty weak on.</p></div> Creationism https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/28/the-2026-golden-crocoduck/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80536 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:12:03 +0000 <div><p>We get a geology lesson today, while honoring Bwian Thomas Ph.D. of the ICR for his bogus analysis of the Grand Canyon.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yNjUhcwULH4?si=Nzk3-ygnfAmIlIRR" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>I always appreciate Potholer54’s discussions of geology, since that’s a discipline I’m pretty weak on.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/give-that-man-a-medal/ <div><p>“SHOVE THAT BALLROOM UP YOUR FAT ASS!!”</p><div><blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trump is heckled for a third time at his speech in Mississippi:</p><p>"SHOVE THAT BALLROOM UP YOUR FAT ASS!!" <a href="https://t.co/cpFe20w6MM">pic.twitter.com/cpFe20w6MM</a></p><p>— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) <a href="https://x.com/HQNewsNow/status/2114878550163530043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p></p></div><p>Then the audience chants “USA! USA!” for some reason, and Trump claims the heckler was paid $250 by George Soros. That’s absurd, I’d happily yell the same thing for free.</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/give-that-man-a-medal/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80534 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 22:33:00 +0000 <div><p>“SHOVE THAT BALLROOM UP YOUR FAT ASS!!”</p><div><blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trump is heckled for a third time at his speech in Mississippi:</p><p>"SHOVE THAT BALLROOM UP YOUR FAT ASS!!" <a href="https://t.co/cpFe20w6MM">pic.twitter.com/cpFe20w6MM</a></p><p>— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) <a href="https://x.com/HQNewsNow/status/2114878550163530043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p></p></div><p>Then the audience chants “USA! USA!” for some reason, and Trump claims the heckler was paid $250 by George Soros. That’s absurd, I’d happily yell the same thing for free.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/the-nerds-were-feeling-festive/ <div><p>There is a hidden alcove deep in the heart of the Science &amp; Math building on the UMM campus, with a little fish pond and some prairie grasses. You have to know how to get there to find it, so it’s a bit isolated and quiet. Soon enough the pond will freeze over and everything will be covered in snow.</p><p>For now, we have a dramatic scene on display.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom.jpeg"><img alt="" height="408" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-500x408.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-500x408.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-150x122.jpeg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-300x245.jpeg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-768x627.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom.jpeg 1200w" width="500" /></a></p></div> Miscellaneous and Meta https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/the-nerds-were-feeling-festive/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80531 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:03:30 +0000 <div><p>There is a hidden alcove deep in the heart of the Science &amp; Math building on the UMM campus, with a little fish pond and some prairie grasses. You have to know how to get there to find it, so it’s a bit isolated and quiet. Soon enough the pond will freeze over and everything will be covered in snow.</p><p>For now, we have a dramatic scene on display.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom.jpeg"><img alt="" height="408" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-500x408.jpeg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-500x408.jpeg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-150x122.jpeg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-300x245.jpeg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom-768x627.jpeg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/grogus-doom.jpeg 1200w" width="500" /></a></p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/people-have-been-willfully-blind-for-too-many-years/ <div><p>Is this news? Haven’t we always known that Trump and Epstein were sleazy rapist, but it’s <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/217134/democrats-50-page-report-donald-trump-epstein-files-cover-up">about time Democrats woke up and hammered on it</a>.</p><blockquote><p>House Judiciary Committee Democrats released a 50-page report Monday morning accusing Donald Trump of participating in Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal sex schemes. The caucus also accused the Trump administration of a broad cover-up, designed to shield the president from blowback as it tried to roll out the release of the Epstein files to the general public.</p><p>The report cites the experiences of 11 women, FBI records, and documents released through the Epstein Files Transparency Act. At least five women accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company, according to interviews conducted by the committee. Others said there were “apparent attempts” by Epstein and his longtime girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell to traffic them to the real estate magnate.</p></blockquote><p>Read that <a href="https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-10.hjc-dems-staff-report-epstein-and-trump.pdf">50 page report</a>. Or look at this summary.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein.jpg"><img alt="" height="648" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-500x648.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-500x648.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-116x150.jpg 116w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-232x300.jpg 232w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-768x995.jpg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein.jpg 776w" width="500" /></a></p><p>We should have known that someone who creates a beauty pageant for 14 year old girls has some slimy predilections and should never have elected him for anything.</p></div> Feminism, Gender, and Equality Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/people-have-been-willfully-blind-for-too-many-years/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80528 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:19:35 +0000 <div><p>Is this news? Haven’t we always known that Trump and Epstein were sleazy rapist, but it’s <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/217134/democrats-50-page-report-donald-trump-epstein-files-cover-up">about time Democrats woke up and hammered on it</a>.</p><blockquote><p>House Judiciary Committee Democrats released a 50-page report Monday morning accusing Donald Trump of participating in Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal sex schemes. The caucus also accused the Trump administration of a broad cover-up, designed to shield the president from blowback as it tried to roll out the release of the Epstein files to the general public.</p><p>The report cites the experiences of 11 women, FBI records, and documents released through the Epstein Files Transparency Act. At least five women accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company, according to interviews conducted by the committee. Others said there were “apparent attempts” by Epstein and his longtime girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell to traffic them to the real estate magnate.</p></blockquote><p>Read that <a href="https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-10.hjc-dems-staff-report-epstein-and-trump.pdf">50 page report</a>. Or look at this summary.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein.jpg"><img alt="" height="648" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-500x648.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-500x648.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-116x150.jpg 116w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-232x300.jpg 232w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein-768x995.jpg 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/trump-epstein.jpg 776w" width="500" /></a></p><p>We should have known that someone who creates a beauty pageant for 14 year old girls has some slimy predilections and should never have elected him for anything.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/the-end-of-a-distinguished-legacy/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 114px) 100vw, 114px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-114x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-114x150.jpg 114w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-227x300.jpg 227w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925.jpg 300w" width="114" /></a></p><p>Some of the best years of my youth were in high school…but not <em>in</em> high school. During those years, we lived in a nice old house in the center of town, my parents and six kids, which was going to change after I graduated, when I moved to another state, my brother joined the army, and my parents moved to another town, after the rental home we lived in was torn down by the Catholic church. There was a sharp division ahead of us.</p><p>Before all that changed, though, we lived in this nice older house that was only a few blocks away from the public library. Every day after school I would go to the library and hang out until my mother would send one of my younger siblings over to tell me to come home for dinner. I had a favorite spot in the library, a large table facing the periodicals section, and the first thing I’d do was scan the racks to see what new journals had come in. I liked <i>Natural History</i>, <i>Smithsonian</i>, and especially <i>Scientific American</i>. SciAm would engage me for several days as I would read it cover to cover. Every month throughout my high school years. That’s what made those years happy and memorable because I was a nerd, who missed out on all that socialization that normal kids experienced.</p><p>It’s the end of an era now, though. <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/scientific-american-springer-nature-trump/"><i>Scientific American</i> is dying</a>. Guess why.</p><blockquote><p>Last year, a Breitbart article had criticized Springer Nature, Scientific American’s German owner, for attacking those “skeptical of the coronavirus vaccine” and spreading “gender insanity.” “No more taxpayer money for woke publishers!” declared Donald Trump Jr., retweeting the article. In June 2025, Axios reported that all federal subscriptions to Springer Nature publications had been canceled. Although Trump officials later walked back the bulk of the cuts, they had shocked the scientific community: Without access to Springer Nature’s thousands of journals, including the prestigious Nature publications, researchers at federal agencies—from the NIH to NASA—would struggle to stay abreast of scientific developments. The company itself, meanwhile, risked losing as much as $25 million in federal contracts.</p><p>So if Ewalt had asked people to keep Trump out of the headlines last summer, it was because corporate higher-ups were visiting the site all the time. “And if they saw the word ‘Trump,’” he said, according to the recording, “they were wetting their fucking lederhosen.” People had no idea how “lily-livered and weak-kneed and cowardly” Springer Nature was, he said. “They are so fucking afraid of the Trump administration.”</p></blockquote><p>Springer Nature no longer owns it. SciAm has been bought by a company called LabX. This is not good news.</p><blockquote><p>In the immediate aftermath of the sale, staffers were left scrambling to learn more about Scientific American’s new owner. Previously, LabX’s best-known publication had been <i>Discover</i>, a onetime dentist’s office stalwart that was hollowed out by private equity buyers in the aughts; according to multiple staffers, the ownership transition seemed rushed, chaotic, and disorganized. When one worker reached out to a former employee of one of LabX’s other publications, the stories they heard—including ones related to editorial independence—were part of why they turned down their job offer, they said. (LabX did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)</p></blockquote><p>I remember <i>Discover</i>. It was not one I ever looked forward to reading — too shallow, never providing much to engage with.</p><blockquote><p>At least one freelancer has already written publicly about their negative experience with the new Scientific American, and two more editorial staffers were laid off at the end of September, including Megha Satyanarayana, Vergano’s former colleague in the opinion department—who declined to comment for this piece—and a data reporter. Vergano remains worried that LabX seems more interested in “gee-whiz stuff” than critical, substantive reporting. From what he’s seen of their publications, he said, “they produce things that are schlockfests. And we were doing good work at Scientific American.”</p></blockquote><p>The end is near. The schlockification has begun. I don’t think the new SciAm will be inspiring many high school students to pursue careers in science.</p></div> Science https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/27/the-end-of-a-distinguished-legacy/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80525 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:37:39 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 114px) 100vw, 114px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-114x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-114x150.jpg 114w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925-227x300.jpg 227w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/sciam-1925.jpg 300w" width="114" /></a></p><p>Some of the best years of my youth were in high school…but not <em>in</em> high school. During those years, we lived in a nice old house in the center of town, my parents and six kids, which was going to change after I graduated, when I moved to another state, my brother joined the army, and my parents moved to another town, after the rental home we lived in was torn down by the Catholic church. There was a sharp division ahead of us.</p><p>Before all that changed, though, we lived in this nice older house that was only a few blocks away from the public library. Every day after school I would go to the library and hang out until my mother would send one of my younger siblings over to tell me to come home for dinner. I had a favorite spot in the library, a large table facing the periodicals section, and the first thing I’d do was scan the racks to see what new journals had come in. I liked <i>Natural History</i>, <i>Smithsonian</i>, and especially <i>Scientific American</i>. SciAm would engage me for several days as I would read it cover to cover. Every month throughout my high school years. That’s what made those years happy and memorable because I was a nerd, who missed out on all that socialization that normal kids experienced.</p><p>It’s the end of an era now, though. <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/scientific-american-springer-nature-trump/"><i>Scientific American</i> is dying</a>. Guess why.</p><blockquote><p>Last year, a Breitbart article had criticized Springer Nature, Scientific American’s German owner, for attacking those “skeptical of the coronavirus vaccine” and spreading “gender insanity.” “No more taxpayer money for woke publishers!” declared Donald Trump Jr., retweeting the article. In June 2025, Axios reported that all federal subscriptions to Springer Nature publications had been canceled. Although Trump officials later walked back the bulk of the cuts, they had shocked the scientific community: Without access to Springer Nature’s thousands of journals, including the prestigious Nature publications, researchers at federal agencies—from the NIH to NASA—would struggle to stay abreast of scientific developments. The company itself, meanwhile, risked losing as much as $25 million in federal contracts.</p><p>So if Ewalt had asked people to keep Trump out of the headlines last summer, it was because corporate higher-ups were visiting the site all the time. “And if they saw the word ‘Trump,’” he said, according to the recording, “they were wetting their fucking lederhosen.” People had no idea how “lily-livered and weak-kneed and cowardly” Springer Nature was, he said. “They are so fucking afraid of the Trump administration.”</p></blockquote><p>Springer Nature no longer owns it. SciAm has been bought by a company called LabX. This is not good news.</p><blockquote><p>In the immediate aftermath of the sale, staffers were left scrambling to learn more about Scientific American’s new owner. Previously, LabX’s best-known publication had been <i>Discover</i>, a onetime dentist’s office stalwart that was hollowed out by private equity buyers in the aughts; according to multiple staffers, the ownership transition seemed rushed, chaotic, and disorganized. When one worker reached out to a former employee of one of LabX’s other publications, the stories they heard—including ones related to editorial independence—were part of why they turned down their job offer, they said. (LabX did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)</p></blockquote><p>I remember <i>Discover</i>. It was not one I ever looked forward to reading — too shallow, never providing much to engage with.</p><blockquote><p>At least one freelancer has already written publicly about their negative experience with the new Scientific American, and two more editorial staffers were laid off at the end of September, including Megha Satyanarayana, Vergano’s former colleague in the opinion department—who declined to comment for this piece—and a data reporter. Vergano remains worried that LabX seems more interested in “gee-whiz stuff” than critical, substantive reporting. From what he’s seen of their publications, he said, “they produce things that are schlockfests. And we were doing good work at Scientific American.”</p></blockquote><p>The end is near. The schlockification has begun. I don’t think the new SciAm will be inspiring many high school students to pursue careers in science.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/hes-polluting-everything/ <div><p>I was browsing pubmed for some interesting articles when I noticed that every article is tainted with this stupid announcement.</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice.png"><img alt="" height="94" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-500x94.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-500x94.png 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-150x28.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-300x57.png 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-768x145.png 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice.png 842w" width="500" /></a><p>NIH Websites Are Changing<br />Get the Latest Updates and FAQs on the transition<br />Per <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/">Executive Order 14434</a>, federal agencies are now using “Super Intelligence” (SI) in place of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI). You may see both terms across NIH content during this transition.</p></div><p>Yuck. Our president thinks he can meddle in things he does not understand and lacks the ability to comprehend by simply <em>renaming</em> things, and the NIH is going along with it. So disappointed.</p><p>It’s not intelligence, let alone “super” intelligence.</p></div> Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/hes-polluting-everything/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80521 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:52:38 +0000 <div><p>I was browsing pubmed for some interesting articles when I noticed that every article is tainted with this stupid announcement.</p><div style="width: 510px"><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice.png"><img alt="" height="94" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-500x94.png" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-500x94.png 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-150x28.png 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-300x57.png 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice-768x145.png 768w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/depressing-notice.png 842w" width="500" /></a><p>NIH Websites Are Changing<br />Get the Latest Updates and FAQs on the transition<br />Per <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/">Executive Order 14434</a>, federal agencies are now using “Super Intelligence” (SI) in place of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI). You may see both terms across NIH content during this transition.</p></div><p>Yuck. Our president thinks he can meddle in things he does not understand and lacks the ability to comprehend by simply <em>renaming</em> things, and the NIH is going along with it. So disappointed.</p><p>It’s not intelligence, let alone “super” intelligence.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/batman-sans-batman/ <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 101px) 100vw, 101px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-101x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-101x150.jpg 101w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-202x300.jpg 202w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface.jpg 337w" width="101" /></a></p><p>I saw <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34890576/?ref_=mv_close"><i>Clayface</i></a> last night, and mostly liked it. I appreciated the fact that it’s a movie set in Batman’s Gotham City, with no appearance by the guy with a cape, and no rehashing of Batman’s origin in the murder of his parents. It is set in the Gotham City milieu, which is an annoying flaw done only to draw in the comic book fans. It’s a bit grim. There’s a scene with a young woman alone walking into a subway that was the worst, most daunting cavern of industrial gloom which no one in their right mind would enter. <i>Clayface</i> is an interesting story set in the darkest environment.</p><p>It’s also a very dark story. It could have used a little contrast to alleviate the oppressive atmosphere.</p><p>I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone who is repelled by body horror. I’m undaunted by knives and needles and blood to the point that I have to offer another criticism: the scenes with blood were nowhere near bloody enough to be realistic. Of course, the notion that nanotech-infested flesh could crawl and reshape itself at will (I have concerns about the metabolic activity required, as well as the amount of information involved) is even more unrealistic, but that was the core premise of the movie.</p><p>However, the appeal of the movie is that finally it lifts the imaginative possibilities of a comic book movie out of the stultifying conventions of the past comics. <i>Clayface</i> may not be the great movie that is going to be taken seriously as a good drama, but I like the fact that I could walk into that theater and not know the direction the story was going to take.</p><hr /><p>Ugh. I am clayface. I just got back from the dentist, a filling on the left and another on the right, and now my face is totally numb. It’s supposed to wear off before my class, which is good, since I’m at risk of serious drooling right now.</p></div> Entertainment https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/batman-sans-batman/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80518 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:33:57 +0000 <div><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface.jpg"><img alt="" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 101px) 100vw, 101px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-101x150.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-101x150.jpg 101w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface-202x300.jpg 202w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/clayface.jpg 337w" width="101" /></a></p><p>I saw <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34890576/?ref_=mv_close"><i>Clayface</i></a> last night, and mostly liked it. I appreciated the fact that it’s a movie set in Batman’s Gotham City, with no appearance by the guy with a cape, and no rehashing of Batman’s origin in the murder of his parents. It is set in the Gotham City milieu, which is an annoying flaw done only to draw in the comic book fans. It’s a bit grim. There’s a scene with a young woman alone walking into a subway that was the worst, most daunting cavern of industrial gloom which no one in their right mind would enter. <i>Clayface</i> is an interesting story set in the darkest environment.</p><p>It’s also a very dark story. It could have used a little contrast to alleviate the oppressive atmosphere.</p><p>I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone who is repelled by body horror. I’m undaunted by knives and needles and blood to the point that I have to offer another criticism: the scenes with blood were nowhere near bloody enough to be realistic. Of course, the notion that nanotech-infested flesh could crawl and reshape itself at will (I have concerns about the metabolic activity required, as well as the amount of information involved) is even more unrealistic, but that was the core premise of the movie.</p><p>However, the appeal of the movie is that finally it lifts the imaginative possibilities of a comic book movie out of the stultifying conventions of the past comics. <i>Clayface</i> may not be the great movie that is going to be taken seriously as a good drama, but I like the fact that I could walk into that theater and not know the direction the story was going to take.</p><hr /><p>Ugh. I am clayface. I just got back from the dentist, a filling on the left and another on the right, and now my face is totally numb. It’s supposed to wear off before my class, which is good, since I’m at risk of serious drooling right now.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/peak-republican/ <div><p>I’m sure you’ve all heard about Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad, but to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ohios-biggest-newspaper-breaks-endorsement-policy-to-slam-vivek-ramaswamy/ar-AA2g4XOL?ocid=BingNewsSerp">briefly summarize: Ramaswamy is running for Ohio governor against Amy Acton</a>. Acton had a horrible childhood, being sexually assaulted by her creepy stepfather as a pre-teen, and said creep fled the state to avoid prosecution, and Acton’s mother fled with him, abandoning her children. None of that is in dispute, and is a matter of record. Acton persevered, got a medical degree, and is now running for governor, admirable, even heroic, accomplishments.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35%E2%80%AFAM.jpg"><img alt="" height="71" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35%E2%80%AFAM-150x71.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-150x71.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-300x143.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-500x238.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM.jpg 582w" width="150" /></a>Ramaswamy, in contrast, was a spoiled rich kid and pharmaceutical drug lord, who <a href="https://tiffinohio.net/posts/ramaswamy-profited-axovant-alzheimers-drug-failed/">peddled a failed Alzheimer’s drug</a>, and who always presents as a cocky arrogant loser. His image is…not good. So he chose to run an attack ad starring Acton’s deadbeat mother, supportive wife of a rapist, accusing Acton of lying. He chose to replace his face, the face of slick, rich, profiteering pharmaceutical grifter, with the image of a bad mother who abandoned his opponent as a child to live with a rapist.</p><p>This sounds like a very bad idea, but I don’t know — it does make him look like a peak Republican, an alpha with no morality, which has been a winning recipe for the party of authoritarians. There are people who actually consider obedience to one’s parents, no matter how awful they are, to be a virtue. They’re the ones who like to quote the ten commandments and argue that if you don’t honor your mother and father, you’ll burn in hell. It might lock down a few votes for him. From, you know, the kind of people who favor the parenting methods of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Train_Up_a_Child">Michael and Debi Pearl</a>.</p><p>My mother was a sweetie pie, who I know would not stand by if her husband was abusive (my father was not, not by a long shot), so my personal experience biases me to favor mothers. I have heard enough stories of terrible parenting to know that excreting a baby doesn’t necessarily make you a good person, and have seen enough examples in the news of parents torturing or killing their children to know that evil isn’t a contraceptive.</p><p>I’ll be watching the Ohio election. If Ramaswamy gets elected, I’ll know that Americans are beyond hope.</p></div> Evil Politics, History, and Law https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/26/peak-republican/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80514 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:08:28 +0000 <div><p>I’m sure you’ve all heard about Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad, but to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ohios-biggest-newspaper-breaks-endorsement-policy-to-slam-vivek-ramaswamy/ar-AA2g4XOL?ocid=BingNewsSerp">briefly summarize: Ramaswamy is running for Ohio governor against Amy Acton</a>. Acton had a horrible childhood, being sexually assaulted by her creepy stepfather as a pre-teen, and said creep fled the state to avoid prosecution, and Acton’s mother fled with him, abandoning her children. None of that is in dispute, and is a matter of record. Acton persevered, got a medical degree, and is now running for governor, admirable, even heroic, accomplishments.</p><p><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35%E2%80%AFAM.jpg"><img alt="" height="71" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" src="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35%E2%80%AFAM-150x71.jpg" srcset="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-150x71.jpg 150w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-300x143.jpg 300w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM-500x238.jpg 500w, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-26-at-5.50.35 AM.jpg 582w" width="150" /></a>Ramaswamy, in contrast, was a spoiled rich kid and pharmaceutical drug lord, who <a href="https://tiffinohio.net/posts/ramaswamy-profited-axovant-alzheimers-drug-failed/">peddled a failed Alzheimer’s drug</a>, and who always presents as a cocky arrogant loser. His image is…not good. So he chose to run an attack ad starring Acton’s deadbeat mother, supportive wife of a rapist, accusing Acton of lying. He chose to replace his face, the face of slick, rich, profiteering pharmaceutical grifter, with the image of a bad mother who abandoned his opponent as a child to live with a rapist.</p><p>This sounds like a very bad idea, but I don’t know — it does make him look like a peak Republican, an alpha with no morality, which has been a winning recipe for the party of authoritarians. There are people who actually consider obedience to one’s parents, no matter how awful they are, to be a virtue. They’re the ones who like to quote the ten commandments and argue that if you don’t honor your mother and father, you’ll burn in hell. It might lock down a few votes for him. From, you know, the kind of people who favor the parenting methods of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Train_Up_a_Child">Michael and Debi Pearl</a>.</p><p>My mother was a sweetie pie, who I know would not stand by if her husband was abusive (my father was not, not by a long shot), so my personal experience biases me to favor mothers. I have heard enough stories of terrible parenting to know that excreting a baby doesn’t necessarily make you a good person, and have seen enough examples in the news of parents torturing or killing their children to know that evil isn’t a contraceptive.</p><p>I’ll be watching the Ohio election. If Ramaswamy gets elected, I’ll know that Americans are beyond hope.</p></div> https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/25/now-i-know-a-little-bit-about-denisovans/ <div><p>If you’ve got a spare 20 minutes, you can get a quick overview of what is currently known about the Denisovans. </p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/azvCSKTmp7E?si=GY3TWmQyENEEl2mk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>I appreciated being brought up to speed.</p></div> Evolution https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/10/25/now-i-know-a-little-bit-about-denisovans/#comments https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/?p=80512 Sun, 25 Oct 2026 10:58:06 +0000 <div><p>If you’ve got a spare 20 minutes, you can get a quick overview of what is currently known about the Denisovans. </p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/azvCSKTmp7E?si=GY3TWmQyENEEl2mk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>I appreciated being brought up to speed.</p></div>